Cracked Hearts
by Goldensnake333
Summary: After the war there are lots of changes, most noticeably is a Veela roaming the castle looking for his mate. But can Draco win over his mate in the end? Can Hermione accept him before it's too late? And can they find happiness or will they be torn apart by their cracked hearts? Veela-fic
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! New story from me! If you read my other story, that which lies under the surface, don't worry, I haven't abandoned it at all. I'm just giving birth to this particular brain child as it would not leave me alone. It probably won't be that long, but I hope you enjoy anyway. It's set after the war, but Dumbledore is still alive. Please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts! And without further ado, on with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I am in no way JK Rowling and I only own the plot**

* * *

Time is a very fickle thing. When one finds themselves at the beginning of an awful situation, time races forward like a horse out of control. It only slows when awful events start happening, whereby it almost slows to a standstill. When one finds themselves trapped in the middle, they cannot help but wonder if it will ever end. And time, the ironic git that it is, will take that as a challenge and before you know it you've been spat out the other end and landed straight on your ass wondering what on earth happened.

This was what I was thinking as the train whizzed through the countryside taking us back to school. I had been on this train going to the same school for the past eight years and in that short span of time, a madman had rose to power and had been vanquished. All quite simple when put into one sentence, but in reality it had been enough to completely distract me from the passing of time and my passage from childhood to adulthood.

So here I am, on the train once more, wondering about my future. Since there hadn't been any real education last year, a temporary eighth year had been created so that anyone who wanted to complete their NEWTs could. Although it was optional, most of the year had returned in order to gain the necessary degrees for any future jobs. The two heads had also been chosen from the eighth years, and so they wouldn't miss out, deputies were chosen from the seventh years. I don't think anyone was surprised when I was chosen as head girl, but Dumbledore's choice of head boy had confused everybody. I couldn't wait to discover his explanation for his decision.

"Hey 'Mione," said Harry, plonking himself in the seat opposite me, "how've you been?"

I smiled at him, he seemed so much more happy now that the war was over, and so he should. You don't get the title 'saviour' if you aren't willing to pay hell, and Harry had paid that and more.

"I'm fine thank you Harry. How about-"

"Hi guys!" yelled Ron, barging both into the compartment and the middle of my sentence, "You won't believe what happened to me. The Chudley Cannons asked me to be their keeper!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yes Ron, I am aware after the three million owls you sent me."

Ron pouted and collapsed next to me, "Yeah, but 'Mione here didn't know, right babe?"

HI grimaced, "Ronald, I've asked you already at least twice. Don't call me babe!"

He huffed and squirmed, encroaching massively on my personal space, "Come on Hermione, we've been together for months now and you won't let me show you any affection at all! The best I can get is a peck on the lips."

"That's because your kisses are like being licked by a dog," I muttered to myself, subtly putting more distance between Ron and me. It was true we had been together for nearly three months now, but in all honesty I couldn't see it lasting at all. Maybe it was because I've known him for too long and didn't see him as anything more than a close friend, or maybe it was because I find him as sexually appealing as a chimpanzee.

Harry coughed awkwardly and in an attempt to change the subject gestured to the badge on my pristine robes, "I'd heard you'd made head girl, 'Mione, congratulations!"

I smiled at him, "Thanks Harry, but I'm surprised Dumbledore didn't make you head boy. Do you know why?"

Chuckling, he reclined further into his seat, "He did offer it to me actually, but I rejected the position. I've had enough of people looking to me for leadership, being a prefect's good enough for me."

I silently congratulated Harry on his maturity, but I had to say that if I was in his situation, I would feel exactly the same. Ron sighed dramatically, thrusting his chest out slightly as if begging us to notice the prefect badge pinned to his robes.

Groaning inwardly, I turned to him, "Well done to you too Ron, is your mum is happy for you?"

He shrugged, "I think so, but she's changed a lot since Fred's death. She can actually tell which twin is which now, though," his voice quietened.

Feeling a surge of sympathy for him, I threw her arms around his neck in a comforting embrace; it was so easy to forget with his confidant personality that he had lost family as well. I could forgive him for being a git with that in mind.

"Alright," he grumbled, going a bit red, "that's enough. Who exactly is head boy if it isn't you Harry?"

Harry coughed uncomfortably, evidently he knew. I shifted slightly, "Before we tell you, you have to promise not to get too angry, it's Dumbledore's attempt to promote house unity and everything after the war. I think it's a good idea personally."

Ron eyed her warily, "Well who is it then?"

I sighed, "Draco Malfoy."

"WHAT!?"

I winced slightly, throwing him a scathing look. "Yes, Ron. And you're just going to have to put up with it."

Ron spluttered, "But he's- they're- I-"

I put up a hand, "Stop right there, Ronald. Sure Draco has said some horrible things to us over the years, but he was just as much a victim of this war as we were. He just had the misfortune of being on the wrong side, and we shouldn't punish him for that. He was too young to break away from his family in order to escape; in fact I reckon he stayed to protect them."

"Good for him," Ron spat, "but that doesn't explain why you're defending him!"

I huffed and stood up, "I'm not going to put up with this Ron, I'm going to the Head's compartment. I'll see you later Harry."

Harry nodded his goodbye then looked back to a fuming Ron, "Let it go, mate. I plan to talk to Draco, but after that I'm done being enemies with him."

* * *

Nothing was the same anymore. Not my appearance, not my family, not my future, not my mind. All four of these changes were due to one war full of bloodshed, terror and pain. Blurred images of the war still played behind my eyelids whenever I attempted sleep, not that I ever got any. The simple fact was, Draco Malfoy had gone for good and the boy left behind him didn't know what to do.

Only I'm not a boy anymore. I'm seventeen now, a man in the eyes of the government. But I'm not all man, maybe a third of one. Another third remained the scared boy that had had to face Voldemort far younger than everyone bar Harry Potter himself. And that last third was a veela.

Yes, my seventeenth birthday had brought many surprises for my entire family. My mother blamed herself even though technically it was my Aunt's fault. My father took it in his stride, regardless of the consequences, and helped me stand back up after a spectacular blow down to my arse.

My father had changed drastically as well. Lucius Malfoy was still every inch the debonair pureblood with a permanently haughty expression on his ace, but he was working as hard as he possibly could to cast aside his previous prejudices in order to rebuild the Malfoy name. I knew personally how difficult it was to disregard one's upbringing, but the Malfoy name had been dragged through the mud and we were all sweating blood to clean it.

Part of this new view on life for Lucius was accepting that the historic pureblood line would end with me. Sure, there were other branches of the family that would continue the pureblood ways, but this particular line was literally cursed to end.

Bellatrix bloody Lestrange. It was all her fault that this had happened to me. That this part of me had been triggered. Apparently it had always been inside of me lying dormant as it did in all Malfoy men, but I really didn't want it to be _me_.

This curse went all the way back to the beginning of the Malfoy line, when some unfortunate man pissed off a female veela and in turn was cursed _forever_ or something equally dramatic. However, in the short term, the veela failed because the Malfoy man found a way to prevent the curse affecting him. Instead he passed it down through his firstborn son and the son passed it on and so on and so forth. Down to me.

Unfortunately, all magic could be reversed, and the particular spell ending the block on the curse was apparently stashed away in a book in the Black library. And Bellatrix Lestrange had found it and used it. According to her, I was a disgrace to purebloods and the Malfoy name, and my children would be rejected from pureblood society. On the eve of my seventeenth birthday I would transform into a veela and it would be done.

Sure, there were plenty of perks to being a veela, including but not limited to physical perfection, heightened senses and increased magical ability. All of these things were great, but the reason why I had them was the one reason I wanted to go back to just being me. My mate. I didn't know who she was, but she was it. I physically couldn't have a relationship with any other woman and when I found her I was forced to be with her and protect her for life until she died. Then I would die too. Oh, and another thing, she definitely wouldn't be a pureblood, a perk of the curse. Apparently the reason the female vela was rejected by the Malfoy in the first place was because she wasn't a pureblood, so she guaranteed the end of this Malfoy line.

My mother had made many efforts to cheer me up, telling me things like: 'this girl is your soulmate, you're bound to love her' or 'At least this is the end of inbreeding.' My father had scoffed at that one.

The point was; I didn't want to live my life shackled to one girl. I didn't believe any of that 'soul-mate' bullshit, this was the universe's way of punishing me. My mate would probably be some random muggle girl in the far corners of the world. Oh yeah, I only have a year to find and 'claim' her, whatever the bloody hell that means. If I don't find her, I will die of heartbreak or something equally sappy and sickening.

I scoffed and kicked the floor of the compartment, causing Theo to look up and grin at me.

"Unpleasant thoughts?"

I gave him a death glare, causing him to chuckle and put his hands up in mock-surrender. "I don't see what your problem is, mate. You're a fucking sex-magnet; you can have any girl you want!"

"You offering, Nott?" Daphne asked coolly from beside me.

Theo rolled his eyes, "Cool it Greengrass, it's merely jealousy. I mean look at him, don't tell me you seriously haven't considered-"

"Finish that sentence and I will make you eat your balls," she said, huffing angrily at him. Daphne was perhaps the only female to not eye me up like a piece of meat, and I truly appreciated it. She was too like my sister for me to have formed any romantic feelings for her, and I knew for a fact it was the same on her end. Probably because her sights were set on the Italian heart-breaker sitting opposite us, but that could just be my imagination.

"We'll support you if you're gay you know," said Blaise, "I mean, you do throw massive bitch-fits to rival Pansy."

Theodore a middle finger up at Blaise, who countered with vulgar Italian. Daphne rolled her eyes and turned towards me, "So Draco, how does it feel to be head-boy?"

I shrugged, "I wasn't expecting it at all, and it's probably just one of Dumbledore's ploys to promote inter-house unity or some other bullshit like that."

"Your parents must be pleased," Blaise asked slightly hesitantly, knowing it was a sensitive subject. I could practically smell all of their eagerness to know how drastically my parents had changed.

"They are; my father says it's a good way to regain some respect for the Malfoy name. Before I left he told me all eyes are on us to see how we react, and we must show them that we can change. We have to, or we won't survive this new world. He said we have to adapt to continue living, for if we are good at anything its survival." I looked pointedly at all of them, "I think it would be wise to follow his advice."

With that I swept out of the compartment and made my way down to the Head's compartment. I kicked the door open and threw myself down on one of the benches, staring glumly out of the window. Not two minutes later, the door flew open again, revealing an equally agitated person who stomped in and collapsed opposite me. I looked over to see Granger staring out of the window, resolutely ignoring me. That was fine; it gave me freedom to observe her.

There was no doubt about it that she had changed. She was still short, 5'5 against my impressive 6'4, but that didn't make her any less intimidating when she wanted to be. Her hair was still slightly bushy, but it had somewhat tamed and was now flattering as opposed to overwhelming. Her face was pleasant as well; beautiful, clear skin over an exotic bone structure. Her eyes were the colour of warm chocolate flecked with hazelnut and framed by naturally thick lashes. Though covered by baggy robes, her figure was obviously slim yet tastefully curvy. All in all, that brilliant brain was wrapped in a rather pretty package. I guess I had never seen past my prejudices to her true beauty.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she sighed, turning towards me. The second our eyes met she froze, looking like a startled deer. Her mouth parted slightly and her head tilted fractionally. Despite myself I grinned, relishing in the fact that _Hermione Granger_ of all people found me attractive. I couldn't lie though, the feeling was mutual. Her eyes were so emotive, expressing every emotion she felt and broadcasting them to me. I felt my own eyes softening slightly, as my grin turned into a genuine smile.

She stood up abruptly, shaking her head as if to clear it, "What was that?" she managed to choke out.

I shrugged, my eyes still trained on her, "I don't know, you tell me."

She frowned out me and turned, glancing back as she escaped out of the door. No doubt to tell her little Gryffindor friends of this revelation. I wonder how Weasely would take her gushing about by good looks.

I would certainly have to investigate Granger a bit more.

* * *

 **Well there you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed, please leave a review to make me very happy.**

 **GoldieXx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Goodness, it has been forever! Is anybody still out there? Hellooooooo! I've returned with a shiny new chapter! So sorry about the long wait, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review to make me one very happy author, and thank you so much to those of you who have read/reviewed/followed/favourited. It really means a lot!**

 **Disclaimer: I own the plot alone!**

* * *

"I'm telling you Harry, there's definitely something different about Draco."

Harry bit his lip and pushed his glasses up his nose after they had slid down because of the unsteadiness of the carriages taking them to the school. Ron snorted and crossed his arms, "What could possibly different about ferret-face?"

Hermione looked down at my hands, "Well for one, he's not exactly a ferret-face anymore."

Ron frowned, "What do you mean?"

She sighed and wondered what the best way would be to break it to Ron and decided on bluntness, any attempt at subtlety would just go right over his head. "I mean he's handsome, Ronald. He's suddenly got very handsome."

Both boys lurched forward at this, a gaping look on Harry's face and a murderous one on Ron's. "Where is the bastard? I'll kill him myself!"

"For what?" she asked indignantly.

Ron looked at her like she was stupid, "For putting some dark curse on you that makes you attracted to Malfoy, King of the prats!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, "Do you really think he'd be able to curse me, Ron? I do know when I'm in my right mind. Besides, it's not only his appearance that's changed, I think his personality has too."

"In what way?" Harry asked over Ron's yelling.

Sighing again, she shrugged my shoulders, "Well, he didn't insult me at all. And when I looked into his eyes something just seemed to _click,_ like I was filled with both absolute certainty and complete confusion at the same time. I don't know; it's hard to explain."

Ron chuckled in an exasperated way, and looked at Harry incredulously, "You seriously don't think he has her under some freaky mind control? Because it's sounding an awful lot like that to me! Forget that whole 'talking to him' bullshit, I think we should punch his lights out!"

Harry glared at him, "How does looking good make Malfoy evil?"

"Because," Ron said over-dramatically, "it causes smart girls like Hermione to fall prey to his masochistic depravity!"

Pinching the bridge of her nose Hermione mentally screamed at him. "Think about it Ron, Malfoy's been through hell, do you really think his looks are at the top of his priority list? Besides, I couldn't give a rat's arse about what he looks like; I'm more interested in his personality change. But to be honest, when it comes to Malfoy, any interest on my part is microscopic. So please, stop painting me as either a damsel in distress or an airhead who swoons whenever she sees an attractive male, because I assure you I am neither!"

"But he-"

"End of conversation, Ronald!"

Harry looked at her in awe, "You know Hermione, you're scary when you want to be!"

She huffed and slumped down in her seat, but gave him a small grin nonetheless knowing that he meant it as a compliment.

Just then, the castle came into view, looking equally daunting and magical against the inky-black sky and silver stars. It had been both a refuge and a danger magnet over the past years, its stone walls safe-guarding them against the danger outside whilst simultaneously leading them towards the danger within. The basilisk, the horcruxes, Fluffy the three-headed dog, but to name a few. However, as the golden light poured from the windows and gleamed like gems amongst coal, Hermione couldn't help but feel like she was finally home.

Harry gave a low whistle beside me, "Do you think that we'll manage a year of proper education with no interruptions?"

Ron scoffed, "Please, it wouldn't be Hogwarts without certain death lurking around every corner. There'll be a fair bit of mortal danger."

"No Ron," she said, almost to herself, "I think this year, the dangers we'll face will be that of the real world."

"Huh," said Harry, "the real world. It's been awhile since I really knew what that was. Do you think we'll fit in okay, now that we've finished our roles as saviours of the wizarding world?"

Neither Ron nor Hermione answered, and she suspected that they were both thinking similar things. Harry was right; they hadn't known anything different than madness for years. At that point, madness itself was normal for them.

* * *

Clapping absently at the end of Dumbledore's annual welcome speech, Draco continued to stare at his plate even after the applause had dwindled at the chattering had started up. All around him, he could hear his friends talking animatedly about the year to come. They had all walked into the great hall with their heads held high, even when the majority of the other houses stopped to stare at them. Draco had risked a quick peak at the headmaster then, and he had given him a respectful nod. He returned that with a small smile. Secretly, he was incredibly relieved to have the support of the headmaster after everything.

The same couldn't be said for the other students though. After they had sat down, all of the other three houses started whispering obviously about the Slytherins. The Gryffindors didn't even bother whispering, they were borderline yelling their distaste. Draco and his friends had taken it all with their heads held high and eventually everybody had moved on to other topics.

It was still daunting though, the fact that they had such a long journey to redemption. It was why Draco was sitting mutely staring at his plate as if it held all the answers. It didn't, though. The stupid piece of china just sat there in an extremely unhelpful way.

"Oi, Malfoy," said Theo, "the lads and I are all dying to know how exactly you became so fit over summer."

"You just keep getting gayer, don't you Nott?" he snarled back at him.

Theo put up his hands in mock-surrender, "Easy there, mate, I don't mean anything by it!"

"I think what Theodore is _trying_ to say," Blaise said whilst glaring at the Slytherin in question, "is that something's changed about you, Draco. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, but just know that we're here for you if you need to talk."

"Who's gay now?" sniggered Theo, causing Daphne to kick him under the table.

Nodding his appreciation to Blaise, Draco scanned the Great Hall wondering if his mate was anywhere here. His father had said that once he had seen her, he would feel inexplicably drawn to her. He would then only have to make skin contact and he would be certain. That is, assuming he found her in the given time period.

Sighing, he slumped further down into my seat and continued to stare glumly at the offending plate. From a few seats down Pansy Parkinson was letting out an unbelievably annoying whining; it was something about 'waiting list' and 'fur hat'. Probably another couture item she was currently being denied, Draco really couldn't care less. But her constant whinging was giving him a headache. It wasn't just her either; all the noise of the great hall seemed magnified in his head, making him feel dizzy.

Deciding that it had to just be one of his veela symptoms, Draco abruptly stood and made his way quickly to the doors. Before he reached them though, he was blocked by a smug-looking Gryffindor. Vaguely he remembered that it was some guy called Cormac McLaggen, but he was too preoccupied by the pounding in his head to recall anything further.

"You don't look so good Malfoy," crooned Cormac in an overly sarcastic way, "maybe you remembered that you have no place here. Filthy snake!"

Draco didn't comment back, however tempting it was. He had known that showdowns like this were going to be inevitable, and that he could not afford to lose his temper unless he wanted to make more work for himself.

Cormac sniggered, "What, no clever comeback? No preaching that you're above us all? No 'my father will hear about this'? My, how the mighty have fallen."

Gritting his teeth, Draco clenched his fist to stop it involuntarily reaching for his wand. Instead he carried on walking past Cormac with a neutral expression. Then he felt a wand poking into the back of his neck.

"Don't you dare ignore me, you piece of shit!" Cormac hissed, jabbing the wand painfully into Draco's neck. By now they had the attention of the entire hall, and several of the Slytherins had risen evidently to defend their housemate. He halted them with a wave of his hand, he could deal with this by himself.

He turned slowly, as to not elicit any sudden curses from Cormac's wand. Flicking it to the side when he was fully facing the Gryffindor, he raised his eyes to meet Cormac's.

"I don't think it's wise to start a wand fight in the middle of the great hall, do you McLaggen?"

Cormac's features twisted and he snarled audibly, raising his wand to hit Draco. Before he could though, his wand flew out of his hand and clattered to the floor. Both of the looked up to see Harry aiming at Cormac's wand, a scowl on his face. "Malfoy's right, this isn't the place. Think about what you're doing, Cormac."

Draco's eyebrows raised in shock at hearing Harry potter agree with him on something. Then again, wonder-boy did always back the side that opted for tranquillity.

"Don't get in my way, Potter, this bastard has it coming! He needs to pay!"

"Yes, he does," said Harry simply, "but you are not the one to dole out punishments."

Cormac laughed in an ugly way, "What, and you are? Do you have any idea how many deaths he's been the cause of?" Still glowering, he crouched to pick up his wand and pointed it again right at Draco, "Do you have any idea how much suffering you've caused? You don't deserve to be here at Hogwarts. You don't deserve to still be allowed to use magic. You don't deserve to be _alive_!"

"Cormac, that's enough!" interrupted a new voice, belonging to none other than Hermione. She strode between Cormac and Draco, firmly glaring at the former. "It is forbidden to raise your wand in anger at another student. And you've just threatened the head-boy, not one of your smarter moves, I'll warrant."

Draco looked in shock at the petite brunette standing strong before him. At first it was slightly funny, watching her bring school rules and prefect hierarchies into a situation like this, but he could see the power manifesting behind those beautiful caramel eyes and he knew then and there that she was no-one to be trifled with.

Cormac glowered at her and grabbed her arm, yanking her painfully to the side, "This isn't any of your-"

Suddenly a great snarl erupted throughout the hall, and before he had registered that he was the cause of the noise he had whipped out his wand and had it aimed at Cormac's throat, fully intending to kill him.

A few seconds passed and no-one moved, no-one even breathed, before Harry put his hand on Draco's shoulder gently, "Malfoy, desist. Now."

Draco blinked confusedly a couple of times before turning to face Harry. A mixture of fear, awe and bewilderment danced around in his green eyes before he finally spoke, "Your irises, Malfoy, they turned black."

Slowly lowering his wand, Draco looked around the great hall. All eyes were fixed on him with horror and confusion. Only Dumbledore looked like he knew what was going on, he was sitting there smiling in his cryptic way,

Draco shook his head rapidly and strode out from the great hall, slamming the doors behind him. He then took off at a full sprint towards the nearest empty classroom. When he got there, he slammed his fists down on the desk, cursing endlessly beneath his breath.

It seemed his veela side had decided to come out at that incredibly inopportune moment, in front of the whole school as well. He was certain by tomorrow there would be all sorts of rumours flying around about him.

He couldn't understand why it had so suddenly flared, though. He had been held at wand-point plenty of times and had remained calm and composed. Something had changed. The moment that his veela had come out was the moment when Cormac had grabbed Granger but that just had to be coincidence. It couldn't have been because of her. Draco shook his head and laughed, there was absolutely no way that Hermione Granger was involved in his veela's appearance.

At least, he didn't think so.

* * *

"I see what you mean about Malfoy," said Harry quietly, when they were back seated at the table, "I just don't know what's changed."

Hermione looked at him with incredulity, "Harry, his irises turned black and he went completely savage for a few seconds!"

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, "It was triggered by you getting grabbed by Cormac though. At least, I think it was."

She slumped back in her chair and shook her head, "Harry, what is it exactly that you are trying to say?"

"I honestly don't know Hermione; I just know that there is definitely something going on with Draco."

She refused to believe it, to believe that the reason Draco held another student at wand-point was because of her. It was completely illogical, completely irrational and completely crazy. Maybe she was going mad, maybe she was dreaming, but in no universe would Draco Malfoy ever defend her.

At least, she didn't think so.

* * *

 **There you have it folks! Hope you enjoyed and I shall try my best to update faster next time!**

 **GoldieXx**


	3. Chapter 3

Draco remained missing as Dumbledore led Hermione to the Head dorm following the 'incident', as she was now calling it in her head. He had assured her that the missing blond would be along in due course but had said nothing that explained or justified what had happened in the Great Hall.

"Now, as you know, along with the added responsibility that comes with this position, there are also several bonuses. These include your own bathroom, kitchenette and common room shared with the Head boy and a private room to yourself. I'm sure I can trust you and Mr Malfoy to coexist in relative harmony," here he gave an ironic chuckle, "without too much trouble. You shall be provided the locations and passwords of all the houses for cases of emergency, but sharing these with anyone will result in the withdrawal of your position, the same goes for abusing the right to wander around the school at night whilst on patrol You have unlimited access to all sections of the library and the ability to add or deduct points off of houses. Misuse of this power will be taken seriously. In short, you have been given a lot of privileges; do not give us reason to take them away."

Hermione nodded vigorously, deciding against mentioning Snape's gross misuse of power when it came to House Points. Whilst she never liked it, she did understand that the Slytherins weren't the favoured house of the majority of the teachers and Snape was like their safe haven. Or rather, he used to be.

Dumbledore stopped suddenly in the middle of a corridor, causing Hermione to nearly run into him. He turned, and gestured to a large portrait framed in an ornate golden edging of two angels sat atop a mountain. They turned to her and smiled widely, introducing themselves in silky voices and Uriel and Aurora.

"Tatra Mountain," said Dumbledore in a clear voice causing the portrait to swing open into a cosy looking common room. Stepping in, Hermione admired the gentle blue colour scheme with silver and gold embellishments. The room was light, with several large windows on the left wall. On the right was a door leading to a small kitchenette, the rest of the wall was taken up by bookshelves. On the far wall there were two small staircases on either side of a huge lit fireplace, each one leading to what Hermione assumed was their rooms. Facing the fire was a comfy sofa with several armchairs scattered around the room and a large oak table.

"Well then," proclaimed Dumbledore as he surveyed the common room with a twinkle in his eye, "I'll be off now. Your room is the one on the left, and yours to decorate as you wish, and the password for the time being is Aurora. You may change that any time you please, just talk to the statue in your room."

Dumbledore nodded to her and swept out of the room, leaving Hermione alone. She already feeling very tired, what with a near duel at dinner and Ron's constant yapping on about the great and terrible Draco Malfoy.

At least now, however, gossiping about Malfoy could be justified. In the great hall Hermione had definitely noticed his irises shifting colour to black, even if it was only for an instant. And that growl, it sounded like something out of a wild animal.

Shaking her head, Hermione resigned to forgetting about the whole affair. It was probably meaningless anyway, and all she really wanted to do for the moment was have a hot bath. Walking up the few stairs to her door she said the password and wandered inside her room. It was very plain at the moment, with only a four-poster bed, a wardrobe, a dresser and a desk all in plain white. The only things that really stood out were her belongings that had appeared at the foot of her bed and the cat-sized golden statue of a sleeping lion on the windowsill.

Figuring that this was the statue that Dumbledore had been talking about, Hermione hesitantly approached it, not sure what to expect. When she was within touching distance, the lion opened one eye and stretched out in a very feline way, opening his jaws in a silent yawn before turning to face her.

"I assume that you are Miss Granger," he said in a low grumble, "would you like to change your password?"

Hermione nodded, figuring it would be only too easy for Draco to figure out hers if his was Uriel like she suspected. "I would like my password to be Winston Churchill for now, please." She figured that a muggle Prime Minister would be easy for her to remember but not nearly obvious enough for a particular pureblood.

The lion nodded his consent, "Very well, and as one well-versed in muggle culture, you might as well call me Aslan. I will work as a kind of personal planner for you. Tell me things you want to remember, lists and important dates, and I shall notify you in due course."

She smiled at the somewhat sullen lion, and he gave a grunt of approval before curling back up to sleep. Sighing, she made her way into the bathroom connecting her and Draco's room. It had a reasonably sized bath and shower along with two sets of sinks and mirrors on opposite sides of the room, with green and red towel sets hanging on a rail. Shutting and locking both doors, Hermione drew herself a bath and tried to relax after a hectic first evening.

* * *

"Mr Malfoy, it is hardly becoming of a Head Boy to storm out on his first evening."

Draco turned round in shock at the voice of Dumbledore, who was standing smiling at him from the doorway of the classroom.

Scowling, he kicked the chair in front of him, "Yes, well, it's not like people were being very welcoming," he snapped, glaring at the headmaster.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly and gestured for Draco to follow him. Reluctantly, Draco did, not really wanting to lose his position as Head Boy for insubordination on his first day.

"I understand that it must feel very difficult for you Draco, what with recent events and your current situation. Oh yes, I know all about your… predicament shall we call it?" he added, seeing Draco's dumbfounded expression. The old coot seemed to know everything!

"If you knew, why didn't you stop me in the great hall? You must know about how temperamental I could get."

Chuckling, Dumbledore continued to lead him through a maze of corridors and stairways. "Several lessons have to be learnt, Draco, by several people, including yourself. Any interference on my part would have simply slowed the process down."

Draco frowned, he had never understood Dumbledore's obsession with being cryptic. Sure, he himself was a Slytherin and therefore not unfamiliar with withholding the truth, but sometimes it was even better to be upfront and frank about whatever it happened to be.

"Listen to me; it isn't going to be easy for you these first few weeks, and not just because of your veela tendencies. People are afraid of you and this may cause them to lash out, as one did earlier on, my advice as a Gryffindor would be to prove to them that you can change, that you have renounced your old ways. Be open and receptive to those you would not normally converse with, and have pride in your change of heart. It is an admirable thing, to admit that you were wrong and are willing to change. I would also, however, advice you as a Slytherin and tell you to make allies here in school. Harry holds resentment, but he always sees the best in people, try and see if you can put old rivalries to rest and actually form a friendship with the boy. You're even sharing the Head position with Miss Granger, see if you can't build some new bridges with her."

"How am I going to do anything while I'm already worrying about finding my mate! If I don't within the time period, I'm as good as dead."

"Don't worry, Draco," said Dumbledore, "I have a feeling your mate is within this castle. You'll find her when the time is right."

Here he stopped walking and gestured to a painting of two winged people, angels if Draco recalled muggle studies correctly, and told him the password. After briefing him on the rules, privileges and workings of the common room, Dumbledore left him alone to mull over what he had been told. It was basically the same as what his father had told him, but Dumbledore's words held a deep integrity to them that spoke of years of wisdom that Lucius didn't yet possess.

Opening his door with the password Uriel, Draco immediately changed the décor to his preference of dark blue and silver with dark mahogany wood. A silver snake statue, no longer than his forearm, jumped up from its resting position in the windowsill and swayed its head towards him.

"Hello, you must be Draco, congratulations on getting Head Boy!" the snake chirped in a light, feminine voice. He merely raised an eyebrow at it, before throwing his trunk on the bed and opening it up to start unpacking.

The snake coughed, "Um, would you like to change your password at all?"

Draco nodded, having decided from her voice and manner that she was very definitely a she, "Yes, Bellatrix is a bitch should do for now I think."

The snake coughed uneasily again, "Very well then. Apart from that I shall be your personal planner, so anything you want to remember, just let me know! Oh, and you can call me Kaa. I know that it's technically a male snake's name from a muggle story, and I'm really nothing like Kaa in The Jungle Book, but I guess you do have to trust me!" she giggled uncertainly.

Draco snorted at the snake; she was reminding him more and more of Granger with each word she said. "Alright Kaa, thank you but that will be all."

She nodded and slithered back up to the windowsill where she stilled into her original position, emerald eyes glinting in the moonlight.

Sighing, Draco abandoned his half-unpacked trunk and collapsed backwards on his bed. He really wanted a hot shower in that instant, but the door that presumably led to the shared bathroom was shut and most likely locked, if the gentle humming from the other side was any indication.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of it all. Hermione Granger: bookworm, golden girl of the infamous trio and Gryffindor princess was currently humming away merrily whilst naked in a bath on the other side of his door. He wondered what she must think of Draco Malfoy: former death-eater, sex-god and Slytherin prince being within talking distance of her.

He shook his head suddenly, trying to rid himself of thoughts of Hermione wet and naked in the next room. It just wasn't proper. Closing his eyes, he willed any indecent images of her away and promptly fell asleep half sprawled on the bed.

* * *

The next morning Hermione was woken up by golden light spilling onto her closed eyes and the sounds of a shower assaulting her ears. Groggily reaching for her clock, she realised she still had an hour before breakfast began. Knowing she wasn't going to be going back to sleep any time soon, she got out of bed and pulled off her pyjamas.

"You still have an hour, by the way," a masculine voice said drily just as she pulled off her top. Squeaking, she covered herself and looked wildly around the room for the intruder.

"Relax," said the voice again, which Hermione recognised as Aslan, "I'm an enchanted golden statue, I have no interest in anything you have."

She huffed and hastily pulled on her bra and shirt, steadily ignoring the belittling way Aslan was flicking his tail. Once she was dressed she looked around the barren room, deciding it was time to decorate. Pulling out her wand, she transformed the room into light shades of lavender and cream, with oak furnishings. Satisfied with the way her room looked, she grabbed her hairbrush and started tackling the monster on her head.

"Note to self," said Aslan in a mocking voice, "remember that I am in fact a witch and should use magic on the birds-nest I have for hair."

"I thought you had no interest in what I look like!"

He sniffed haughtily, "I don't, but other people will for sure."

Hermione grit her teeth in an attempt to remain calm and refrain from throwing anything at his obnoxious golden head, "Is there a nicer statue I can get, please?"

"Well Kaa is considered much friendlier by some, she's the silver snake next door, but personally I believe she conducts herself with absolutely no decorum at all."

Hermione giggled, so Malfoy was stuck with a bubbly female whilst she had the pleasure of an unbearable prat of a lion. She thought that maybe Dumbledore had gotten them the wrong way round, but her knowledge of the headmaster told her that he knew exactly what he was doing.

"I don't know why you've stopped brushing, it's nowhere near decent yet!"

"Right," proclaimed Hermione, "I'm going to the common room until breakfast starts. You are entirely too annoying!"

She was out of the door before he had a chance to retort, with her bag in one hand and her wand in the other. Throwing her stuff down on the table, she skipped over to the bookshelves and began skimming over the titles in excitement.

Just then, the door to Draco's room opened, and he emerged looking like he had gotten no sleep at all.

"Morning," he said gruffly, making his way over to one of the sofas and collapsing in it.

Hermione regarded him with a raised eyebrow, "Bad night, Malfoy?"

He snorted, "I guess that is to be expected, Granger. I'm not exactly Mr Popular at the moment and I was kept awake wondering who will try and kill me next."

She rolled her eyes at him and went back to looking at the books. After a short while, Draco spoke again.

"So did you, um, sleep well at all?" he said awkwardly, stumbling a bit over is words.

Hermione snorted, "Please Malfoy, don't feel obliged to exchange pleasantries. I was just commenting on what I saw."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I know, I know. Truth is, I'm not really sure how else to work out a peace treaty."

"Peace treaty? You mean between you and me?"

He nodded, "I guess so, you and Potter and Longbottom. Weasley is stretching it, but I think I can control myself."

Hermione surprised them both by laughing, "Honestly Draco, you overthink things far too much. If you want to be friends, just say! I can't tell you it will happen instantly, if at all, but we can definitely be civil."

"I don't want to be friends," he grumbled, "I just don't want to be seen as a death-eater."

"Alright then," Hermione said, "it's settled. No more arguments."

"Agreed. Hey, do you have an insufferable snake as well?"

* * *

 **That's all, folks! Sorry it was late, life got in the way. Please review and I hope you enjoyed!**

 **GoldieXxx**


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